LASIK and Suicide: Reflection on the Ryan Kingerski News Reports 

The news reports of Ryan Kingerski are devastating. A 26-year-old officer from Penn Hills, Pennsylvania, described by those who loved him as witty, charming, and full of life, is no longer here. His parents remember a son who was loyal, vibrant, and deeply devoted to his family, friends, and career in law enforcement — a young man who lit up rooms and had a future filled with promise.  

According to  WPXI and other reports, after undergoing LASIK surgery, Ryan reportedly experienced distressing visual symptoms, including headaches, floaters, and difficulty focusing. His parents say these symptoms overwhelmed him, and that he felt dismissed and unsupported. In January, Ryan died by suicide. In his final note, he is reported to have referenced the procedure. And now, his family is speaking out, sharing these details, their heartbreak and demanding more awareness of possible risks.  

The reports present a powerful, emotional story, and they have stirred deep concern and confusion online. But as painful as it is, we must be careful. There is a difference between honoring someone’s life, the tragedy of suicide and drawing simplistic conclusions that, while accessible, gloss over important, underlying complexities.    

Let’s start with a difficult but essential truth. HIPAA laws, the privacy regulations protecting patient health information, mean that the public will likely never have access to Ryan’s full medical records, psychological history, or post-operative care details. But even if such data was available, could we ever know exactly what Ryan was going through medically or emotionally in the days and weeks after his procedure? And because of these unanswered questions and the incredible complexities of suicide causality, while his parents’ account is heartfelt and courageous, it is still incomplete. It’s impossible to truly understand a tragedy like this from the outside.    

That’s important, because suicide is never caused by a single factor. It is the result of an incredibly complex interplay of mental health, biology, environment, life experiences, and sometimes physical suffering. But to draw a direct cause-and-effect line between LASIK and suicide without that full context is not only misleading, it’s dangerous.    

The emotional weight of these news reports have led some to imply that LASIK is inherently unsafe, that it “took everything” from Ryan. It’s a heartbreaking statement. But it is also a statement that fails to reflect both the broader reality of LASIK outcomes and the complexity of suicide causality itself.    

More than 20 million LASIK procedures have been performed in the United States, and the procedure remains among the most studied and refined in modern medicine. According to research compiled by the American Refractive Surgery Council, LASIK’s complication rate is less than 1%, and satisfaction rates consistently exceed 95%.  For the overwhelming majority of patients, LASIK offers freedom, clarity, and a dramatically improved quality of life.   Several researchers have noted the positive impact of Lasik on individual’s mental health. 

But that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. Like any medical procedure, there are risks. There can be side effects. There can be complications. Patients deserve transparency about that, and they deserve support if something doesn’t go as planned.    

What we need is balance, not fearmongering or blind defense. We need doctors and surgical centers to continue to take every patient’s concerns seriously, to continue to provide consistent follow-up, and to continue to ensure informed consent is not just a formality but a meaningful conversation. We also need compassion and nuance when tragedies like this occur.  

Ryan Kingerski’s life should not be reduced to a narrative of LASIK gone wrong. Nor should LASIK be painted with the broad brush of this singular, heartbreaking event.  

Suffering often craves an explanation. It’s human. But we must remember that sometimes the most painful truths are also the most complicated, and that no headline, no statistic, and no single story can explain the full depth of someone’s mental or physical suffering.    

Let us honor Ryan’s life by having conversations about mental health support and increasing awareness of the fact that a large portion of suicide decedents were never diagnosed with a behavioral health condition. Let us remember that behind every tragedy is an opportunity for deeper understanding of life’s complexities.  
 

If you or someone you love is struggling with thoughts of suicide or overwhelming distress, you are not alone. Help is available 24/7 through the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org. There is always hope, and there is always help.